Chapter 315: The Highest Mountain (2)
Two daggers, their aura blades extending like deadly wings, sliced through the air, aiming for Damian’s throat.
Damian parried the attack with his sword, Dawn. The impact was immense, as if he had blocked a massive iron ball rather than a mere aura blade. Even Dawn trembled under the weight of the blow.
Twisting his sword, Damian deflected the attack, only to be met with a second strike. It was a relentless assault, befitting the title of “Demon of the Sword.”
He countered the second attack and stepped back. Laetitia, however, did not pursue him. Instead, she maintained her distance, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
“Well, this is different from last time. You were strong enough to knock out Asta with a single blow, but now… not so much.”
This time, Damian faced Laetitia as a human, not as the “Death Knight” he once was. The human Damian Haxen had yet to reach the power of his former self, the Death Knight. It was no wonder Laetitia perceived him as weaker.
“Lord Vahel advised against provoking you, but it seems I can handle this on my own.”
“Arrogant, aren’t we? After just one clash of swords?” Damian smirked, his lips curling.
Laetitia laughed. “Oh, are you angry? If you’re a swordsman, show it with your skills, not just your words.”
“If you insist, I’ll show you.”
As Damian prepared to unleash his power, he paused, pointing at the daggers floating around Laetitia. “Aren’t you going to use those?”
Dozens of daggers hovered around her, yet she wielded only two.
“Curious, are you? But these are reserved for worthy opponents. I doubt you’ll see them in action.”
Damian chuckled at her taunt. “If you want to see something, I’ll oblige.”
He awakened the dormant magic within him. “First Wheel.”
His magic began to spin, and the sapling of the World Tree rooted in his soul lent its strength. Magic and spirit energy merged, becoming one with his body.
A single circle. A perfect union.
In that moment, Damian’s eyes glowed with a brilliant blue light. Then, he vanished. In the blink of an eye, his blade was at Laetitia’s throat.
Her eyes widened in shock as she hastily retreated, crossing her daggers to block. Dawn struck the crossed aura blades, pushing her back.
“Ugh?”
Laetitia’s face twisted in disbelief. Damian seized the opportunity, closing the gap and slashing with Dawn. She raised her daggers to block, but her strength was insufficient. Dawn grazed her cheek, leaving a deep cut.
Blood spilled from the wound, and fury flared in Laetitia’s eyes. “A mere human, not even a century old, dares to wound me? Do you have a death wish?”
Her eyes turned crimson, and a vast energy surged from her body. Her form shifted—her eyes turned violet, horns sprouted from her forehead, and tiger-like stripes appeared on her skin.
“I’ll show you the difference in our power!”
Laetitia charged at Damian, each step causing the ground to quake. Damian watched her approach, murmuring again.
“Second Wheel.”
The light in his eyes intensified. He met Laetitia’s strike head-on, the impact sending a fierce wind howling around them.
Locked in a clash, they glared at each other. Laetitia gritted her teeth. “You withstand my attack?”
“Too light to bother dodging,” Damian taunted, his words igniting a fire in her eyes.
“How dare you!” she roared, putting all her strength into pushing him back, then swung her twin blades.
The daggers traced different paths, their aura blades targeting Damian’s vital points. Yet, her relentless assault was effortlessly deflected. Damian’s sword, Dawn, parried every strike with ease.
“For someone who boasts of their years, your skills are lacking,” Damian mocked, his words twisting her expression.
“I haven’t even shown half my strength!” Laetitia shouted, unleashing a torrent of techniques, each more dangerous than the last.
But none could touch Damian. It was as if he could read her mind, countering every move with ease. Laetitia’s face grew cold as she realized this.
“Is that all you have?” Damian asked, his voice calm.
“Then let’s end this.”
Using Dawn, Damian diverted her attacks, sending her daggers flying in different directions.
“What?”
In her moment of confusion, Damian closed the distance in a single stride, his blade slicing through her neck.
“Ugh!”
Blood sprayed as her neck was half-severed. Clutching her throat, Laetitia staggered back.
“Your bones are tougher than I thought,” Damian remarked, readying his sword for a final strike. Fear of death flickered in her eyes.
“Ka… Kaak!”
Laetitia spat blood, her voice a desperate cry. In that instant, the daggers hovering in the air converged on Damian.
He prepared to deflect them all. There were many, but with the Second Wheel, he could manage. Yet, as Dawn clashed with the daggers, he realized he had to adjust his plan.
The power within the daggers was far greater than expected, heavier than when Laetitia wielded them directly. Damian was forced to halt and fend off the daggers.
Each clash of Dawn and dagger erupted in explosions, pushing him back slightly.
“An aura weapon this powerful?” Even Damian was taken aback by the sheer force, living up to the title of “Demon of the Sword.”
Meanwhile, Laetitia focused on healing her neck wound. If she fully recovered, the battle would drag on.
To finish it, Damian needed to give his all.
“Third Wheel.”
Three circles formed within him, his energy surging to new heights. In an instant, lines extended from him, slicing through the air.
Every dagger caught in those lines was severed.
“What?” Laetitia gasped, her face a mask of shock.
In the next moment, Damian launched himself forward, his blade cleaving through her neck.
Purple blood sprayed as her head hit the ground. Even then, Laetitia couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
“Nothing special,” Damian muttered.
“You… you…”
Despite being beheaded, Laetitia remained alive, her demonic resilience keeping her conscious. She could survive if she reattached her head, but Damian had no intention of allowing that.
“I could ask about your plans, but you wouldn’t tell me, would you?”
He reached for her head, using dark magic to extract her soul.
-Aaaah!
Her soul, massive and formidable, was torn apart as Damian absorbed her memories.
“Nothing of note,” he sighed.
The only information was that to break the pact, they needed to find the altar, and even the demons didn’t know its location.
“I need to find the altar before the demons do.”
With that, Damian turned his gaze. A red dragon stood amidst the bodies of demons, roaring triumphantly.
“What? Damian came with a dragon?” Vahel couldn’t hide his astonishment at the report.
“Asta, isn’t it amazing? Damian Haxen brought a dragon!” he exclaimed, turning to the demon with a bull’s head standing nearby.
-Just give the order, and I’ll tear them both apart.
Asta’s voice was filled with murderous intent, still holding a grudge from being knocked out by Damian.
“What if you die this time?” Vahel teased.
-This time will be different!
“Even Laetitia, a marquis like you, was killed by Damian Haxen.”
-I’m not like that toy-playing fool!
Asta’s voice rose in defiance, and Vahel laughed heartily.
“True, you’re not like Laetitia.”
The title “Demon of the Sword” was both an honor and a burden for Laetitia.
Laeticia was a demon, but she was born without any powers. So, for over a thousand years, she honed her skills with the sword, and it was this dedication that allowed her to rise to the rank of a marquis-level demon.
Yet, a demon without powers was hardly considered a demon at all. Despite her rank, Laeticia was often regarded as weak, more akin to a count-level demon.
“Just hang in there a little longer. We have more pressing matters right now.”
Vahel turned his gaze to where Dorgo was bound in chains, hanging from a tree.
“Dorgo, try to remember. Recall how you entered the altar. Focus on that feeling.”
The altar.
Even in Dorgo’s memories, the place where Ruin had made his pact was absent.
Only Ruin knew the way to enter.
”…”
Dorgo hung limply, offering no response. A flicker of irritation crossed Vahel’s face.
“Hey, wake him up.”
A demon with a mosquito-like proboscis stepped forward.
Laria jabbed her proboscis into the back of Dorgo’s head.
In that instant, Dorgo’s eyes flared with intensity.
“Aaaagh!”
“See? If you’d just listened to me, we wouldn’t have to go through this.”
“Uuugh!”
Dorgo’s screams continued to echo.
-Aaaagh!
Hearing the distant screams, the four great demon lords bit their lips.
“Mother’s cries are weaker than they were yesterday. Her strength is fading,” Epsilon remarked, glancing at his siblings.
“We can’t stand by any longer. We must get Mother out of there, even if it costs us our lives.”
The three brothers nodded in agreement. Epsilon continued, his expression grave.
“For our plan to succeed, we need Damian Haxen.”